Locomotive drifting-valve.



A. A. MEISTER, J. W. SURLES 6L E. F. BOYLE.

LOCOMOTIVE DRIFTlNG VALVE. APPLICATION FILED MAR.7,1917.

1925mm. Patented Jan. 8, 1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

FIFO/w 9014.9?

WITNESSES zsaw A. A. MEISTER, J. W. SURLES & E. F. BOYLE.

LOCOMOTIVE DRIFTING VALVE. APPLICATION FILED MAR.7,1917.

Patented J an. 8, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- ALFRED A. MEISTER, JOHN W. SURLES, AND EDMUND F. BOYLE,

0F HOUSTON, TEXAS.

LOCOMOTIVE DRIFTING-VALVE.

LQSSAVM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 8, rare.

Application filed March 7, 1917. Serial No. 152,030.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALFRED A. Mnrs'rnn, JOHN lV. SURLEs, and EDMUND F. Borne, citizens of th United States, and residents of Houston, in the county of Harris and State of Texas, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Locomotive Drifting-Valves, of which the following is a specification.

Our present invention relates generally to locomotive drifting valves, and is more particularly a device for admitting saturated steam from the boiler to the steam chamber of the valve chest and cylinders while the locomotive is running with the main steam throttle closed.

The device or apparatus as thus outlined is'designcd to be used in connection with 'superheater locomotives inview of the high temperature of the superheated steam, while Working with steam from the main throttle, and its use as above stated, thus discards the usual relief valve, the purpose of which was to admit air into the cylinders, it having been found that the use of such relief valve burns out or destroys the lubrication, and by so doing causes rapid heating of the valves and piston rings and rapid wear and cutting of rings and cylinder wall.

Our invention contemplates the provision of a device of this nature operated automatically by a weight, and which may be connected to and operated by the damper weight arm, which when it drops, opens a valve and admits live steam into the valve chambers and cylinders before all the steam has been exhausted so as to save lubricant and cool the cylinders from the superheated state to the temperature of the saturated steam.

With the above in mind, we will proceed with a description of the preferred means for carrying out our invention, reference being made in such descriptionto the accom' panying drawing, forming a part of this specification and in which our invention is shown. In these drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation illustrating the practical application of our invention;

Fig. 2 is a partial front elevation thereof;

Fig, 3 is a view partly inelevationand partly broken away and in section, of the valve and its actuating parts;

Fig. is an enlarged detail section through the valve, and

Fig. 5 is a detail horizontal section through certain of the valve actuating parts, taken substantially on line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Referring now to these figures, and particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, we have shown in more or less diagrammatic form, a locomotive which is, in accordance with our invention, provided with a pipe 10 extending along the boiler A from the main steam or globe valve B in the cab, the latter being open at all times while the locomotive is in service. The pipe 10, which supplies saturated steam, leads to the intake side of a valve generally indicated at 11 in Fig. 1, and located as shown upon one side of the smoke box C, a pipe 12 leading from the outlet side of the valve 11 to a T fitting 13 located at the front of the saddle D, and as best seen in Fig. 2, connected to branch pipes 14 and 15 leading laterally and horizontally in oppos te directions to the live steam chambers of the valve chest E, and each of which branches is provided with a plug cock 16 for use in cas any of the pipe fittings or pipes fail, in order that, with the plug cocks closed, the locomotive may then proceed without unnecessary delay.

Referring now to Fig. 3, the valve 11, the particular characteristics of which will be presently brought out, is threaded or otherwise connected to the lower portion of a valve cage 17 secured upon a supporting plate 18, and provided at one side with a lug 19 supporting the pin 20, which forms the fulcrum of a valve actuating lever 21, the inner end of this lever extending as shown within the cage 17 and below the collar of the valve rod 23 extending vertically through the cage.

Likewise threaded or otherwise secured upon the upper portion of the cage 17, is a cylinder 24, in which is a vertically 1novable piston 25 connected to the valve stem. so that when the piston is forced downwardly,

the valve stem 23 will be correspondingly lowered, the upper end of the cylinder 2 being closed by a cap 26 into which one end 27 of a pipe 28 is let, said pipe having its opposite end connected to one of the branch pipes 14 or directly into the live steam chamber of the steam chest E, as seen in Fig. 2, and thus leading from the live steam chamber of the respective valve chest E.

The lower end of the stem secured to a piston valve 29 which, as best seen in Fig.

4, reciprocates vertically within a cylinder 30 vertically disposed. in the casing 31 of the valve 11, and having openings 32 and 33, in annular series, respectively above and below the diaphragm 3 1 of the casing 31, so as to respectively communicate with the intake and outlet sides of the valve 11.

The piston valve 29 is balanced in its closed position, shown in Fig. 3, and is held in its position, shown in Fig. a, wherein its lower nnular groove 35 laps the series of cylinder openings 32 and 33 so that the steam is free to pass from pipe 10 to pipe 12, the pressure accumulating below the piston valve in the lower portion of its bore, by virtue of leakage past the valve and an equalizing port in the lower portion ofthe casing, which acci'lmulation must be overconre by prefsurc a r'ive the piston 25. The upper portion of the pistouvalve 29 is provided, in addition to its packing rings, with an annular groove 36, which registers with the intake openings 32 in the lowermost closed position of the valve, so that the steam pressure thus acts upon an equal area to holdthe valve in this position, the upper portion oi the casing 11 being vented at 37 in order to provide free egress for steam leaking past the valve rings. 7

, Outwardly beyond the pin 20 the lever 21 above referred to, extends through a slotted guide 38 attached to the supporting plate 18, the outer end ot the lever having a pivoted latch 39 and a laterally projecting pin 40 in the pathot downward movement of the latch, the latter of which is free to swing upwardly for a purpose to be presently described. Pivoted at one end to a strap l1 secured to the supporting plate 18, is an actuating arm l2 having an intermediate laterally projecting roller 13, and pivotally connected at its opposite. end at it to the upper end of a depending rod 4L5, passing downwardly at one side of the outer end of the lever '21, as seen in Fig. 5, and pivotally connected at its lower end to the arm L6 of the damper weight 4:7.

The lower end of the piston cylinder 2% above referred to, is vented at 18 in Fig. 3,

in order to take care of all leakage past the piston 25, and the lower end of the bore of the valve casing 31, upwardly into which the cylinder 30 extends, is closed by a cap 49, upon removal of which ready access may be had to the internal part of the valve, as above described.

It has been proposed previous to our in vention to actuate a drifting valve in ac-.

cordance with the movement of the superheater d mper arm utlllzed 1n connectlon with steam locomotives having superheaters, as in the patent to Oatley, Numberel i'filo'l, wherein it is stated that such dampers are generally operated automatically, being connected with a suitable steam valve so arranged that when steam is shut. olf from the engine cylinders Or steam chests, the damper closes, while when steam is turned on the damper opens. Thus, when the main steam throttle is closed and the engine is drifting, the damper weight will drop and open the valve o'tour improved drifting arran gement, while when the 7 main throttle is opened and the 'damperaim' again; raised, our improved valve will remain open until the accumulation of pressure in the steam chest automatically closes the same. Thus, referring to Fig. 3, the parts are shown in full line in the position they. will assume in the normal operation of the locomotive, the drifting valve being closed and the superheater damper being in open-position while the dotted lines indicate the positions Of the parts after steam has been shut otf from the engine cylinders or steam chests and the damper has been closed and the "drifting valve opened by the downward movement of the damper arm.

Thus, it is obvious that when the damper weight 17 drops, the l'ollerdS of arm e2 will engage the upper surface of ,the'latchmein ber 39 of lever '21, and thus torce'the' outer end of the said lever downwardly by virtue of the fact: that the latch member 39 rests upon the laterally projecting pin 40. Dur- "ing this movement, therefore, the piston valve 29 will be raised to the open position shown in Fig. 4c, in view or the fact that the collar 22 of its stem 23 isengaged by the inner end of the lever 21. The valve 11 being thus open, saturated steam may pass freely from the boiler into the live steam chambers of the steam chest E, through-the pipe 12 and thebranches 1d and 15, so as to cool the parts to the temperature of the saturated steam, wlthout the tendency t d t lubrication and burn the parts, such as is present in, the use of the an" valves commonly used.

It is obvious I opened, the piston valve 29 will be held in such position and will be unaffected by the upward movement of the damper weight, 47

in view of the fact that, in the downward movement of arm 42, the roller rides ofi of the end of the latch member 39, so that upon furthermore that, when.

steam chest, and the latter being connected to the upper end of the cylinder 24, through the pipe 28, this pressure is applied to the upper surface of the piston 25, forcing the latter downwardly, and causing downward movement of the valve stem 23 therewith, so as to lower the piston valve 29 to the closed position shown in Fig. 3, where it is held balanced by the pressure until the weight t? again descends.

It is obvious from the foregoing that we provide a comparatively simple, inexpensive arrangrmient for the purposes first above stated, and an apparatus which will be effective and ethcient in use, and which will be durable and unlikely to get out of order. It is further to be noted that in the latter contingency the parts are readily accessible for purposes of repair and substitution and that the plug cocks 16 provide for the closing of the branches 14k in case of breakage on the road, in order that the locomotive may pro ceed without undue delay.

We claim 2- 1. A locomotive having a saturated steam supply pipe, connections leading therefrom to the live steam chambers of its steam chests, a valve in the said supply pipe, means for automatically closing the valve, a damper weight, and connections between the damper weight and the said valve for opening the latter, including a valve actuating lever, a latch piece pivoted to said lever and movable in one direction with respect thereto, means to prevent relative movement of said latch in the other direction, and a pivoted arm connected to said damper weight and having a roller, into the path of which said latch piece extends.

2. A locomotive having a saturated steam supply pipe, connections leading therefrom to the live steam chambers of its steam chests, a valve in the said supply pipe, means for automatically closing the valve, a damper weight, and connections between the damper weight and the said valve for opening the latter, including a valve actuating lever, an arm connected to the damper weight, and means whereby to move said lever by movement of said arm in one direction only.

3. In a drifting valve arrangement, the

combination with the saturated steam pipe, steam chests, and saturated damper weight, of a valve in said steam pipe controlling the passage of saturated steam to the steam chests and having means to automatically close the same when pressure in the steam chests exceed a predetermined pressure, and means actuated by the said damper weight for opening said valve, including parts disengageable from one another when. the valve is open, for the purpose described.

4. In a drifting valve arrangement, the combination with the saturated steam pipe, steam chests, and saturated damper weight, of a valve in said steam pipe controlling the passage of saturated steam to the steam chests, and having means to automatically close the same when pressure in the steam chests exceeds a predetermined pressure, and means actuated by the said damper weight for opening said valve, including a valve opening arm provided with a mem ber pivoted to move in one direction only, and a lever connected to the damper weight and having means to engage the said pivoted member during its movement in opposite directions.

5. In a drifting valve arrangement, the combination with the saturated steam pipe, steam chests, and saturated steam weight, of a valve in said steam pipe controlling the passage of saturated steam to the steam chests, and having means to automatically close the same when pressure in the steam chests exceeds a predetermined pressure, and means actuated by the said damper weight for opening said valve, including an intermediately pivoted arm pivotally engaging the valve at one end, and a lever connected to the damper weight and having an engaging roller, said arm having at its opposite end a pivoted stem projecting into the path of movement of the roller of said lever, and having means to prevent movement of the stem with respect to the arm in one direction.

ALFRED A. lifEISTER. JOHN \V. SURLES. EDMUND F. BOYLE.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing" the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

